Description

The objective of this technique is to demonstrate how semantic markup can be used to
mark emphasized or special text so that it can be programmatically determined. Using
semantic markup to mark emphasized or special text also provides structure to the
document. User agents can then make the structure perceivable to the user, for example
using a different visual presentation for different types of structures or by using a
different voice or pitch in an auditory presentation.

Most user agents will visually distinguish text that has been identified using semantic
markup. Some assistive technologies provide a mechanism for determining the
characteristics of content that has been created using proper semantic markup.

Examples

Example 1

This example shows how to use the em and strong elements
to emphasize text. The em and strong elements were
designed to indicate structural emphasis that may be rendered in a variety of ways
(font style changes, speech inflection changes, etc.).

Example Code:

...What she <em>really</em> meant to say was, &quot;This is not ok,
it is <strong>excellent</strong>&quot;!...

Example 2

This example shows using the blockquote element to mark up long
quotations which may require paragraph breaks. It also demonstrates the use of the
cite element to specify a reference.

Example Code:

<p>The following is an excerpt from the <cite>The Story of my Life</cite> by Helen Keller</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Even in the days before my teacher came, I used to feel along the square stiff boxwood
hedges, and, guided by the sense of smell, would find the first violets and lilies.
There, too, after a fit of temper, I went to find comfort and to hide my hot face
in the cool leaves and grass.</p>
</blockquote>

Example 3

Here is the use of the q element to mark up a shorter quotation.
Quotes are provided around the q element, because many user agents do
not support this element yet and therefore do not display it properly (see UA
notes). CSS rules to suppress automatic generation of quotes are provided for those
user agents that do support the q element, to prevent them from
generating quotes automatically in addition to the quotes provided by the author,
resulting in double-quoted content. In the future, when the q element
is more broadly supported, the need to provide quotes and suppress browser-generated
quotes will go away.

Example Code:

q:before { content: ""; }
q:after { content: ""; }

Example Code:

<p>Helen Keller said, "<q>Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it,
we can never do anything good in the world.</q>"</p>

Example 4

Superscripts and subscripts are created using the sup and
sub elements.

Example Code:

<p>Beth received 1<sup>st</sup> place in the 9<sup>th</sup> grade science competition.</p>
<p>The chemical notation for water is H<sub>2</sub>O.</p>